In the last 10-15 years body conditioning requisites, in which a substance of natural origin is responsible for the cosmetic effect, have become much sought. Thus, cosmetic compositions--particularly creams--comprising collagen, placenta extract, etc. are known.
It is preferred to apply a cosmetic composition as a foam to the skin [Chemical Abstracts, 66, 98436 g /1967/].
Cosmetic compositions prepared from hen egg are known [U.S. Pat. Nos. 376 808; 1 566 271; 1 924 972; 2 100 090 and 3 483 008]. However, it is also known that the cosmetic effect of quail egg is superior to that of hen egg since the former has higher egg yolk, dry matter and fat contents [Chemical Abstracts, 79, 77108e /1973/]. Especially the calcium, phosphorus, molybdenum, vitamin A and phospholipid /chiefly lecithin/ contents are high [ibid]. The considerable vitamin A contents are important in the treatment of persons suffering in vitamin A deficiency leading to dry skin. The cosmetic effect of lecithin is extremely valuable since this substance has an effect on the permeability of cell walls and favours the absorption of active substances. Thus, the biologically active substances of the quail egg are completely absorbed.
Furthermore, quail egg comprises higher levels of trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, rhodium, titanium, cobalt, vanadium, calcium, manganese, sodium, tantalum, phosphorus and magnesium [Chemical Abstracts, 76, 97080f /1972/].
In addition, quail egg contains higher amounts of amino acids such as tyrosine, threonine, serine, lysine, glycine and histidine than hen egg does. Of the amino acids present in quail egg, tyrosine is very important as it plays a significant role in the metabolism and favours the pigment formation, thus, the appearance of a healthy skin color.
Therefore, in cosmetic treatments skin conditioning packs made from quail egg are often used. Quail eggs are opened immediately before use and the fluid thereof is incorporated into the mass which is applied onto the face to be treated with the aid of conventional carriers generally used in cosmetic industry. The face-skin conditioning pack thus obtained exhibits favourable biological effects, however, it cannot be stored, is liable to quick decomposition since it constitutes an excellent nutrient medium for microbes. Furthermore, the pack obtained cannot be exactly reproduced. The unopened quail eggs are relatively unfavourably storable, too, and cannot be stored even in a refrigerator for a longer period of time.
The further characteristics of domestically made cosmetic compositions /consistence, color, odor, etc./ do not comply with the requirements raised against up-to-date cosmetic compositions. Due to the fact that preservation remained unsolved, quail egg based cosmetic compositions failed to appear on the market and the use of crude quail egg for cosmetic purposes did not become widespread.
According to Hungarian patent No. 174 863 transitional preservation of hen's egg is carried out by adding potassium sorbate and adjusting the pH to a value between 4.8 and 5.4. The egg-fluid thus obtained can be stored at 4.degree.-8.degree. C. but it is unsuitable for storage at a higher temperature or a longer period of time.
We have tried to preserve natural quail egg-fluid according to the process described in Hungarian Pat. No. 174 863, but the results obtained were still more unfavourable. After two or three days the egg-fluid had a bad smell and became completely unsuitable for cosmetic purposes.
It is known that cosmetic compositions are preserved by means of antiseptic agents. In our experiments, cosmetic carriers and additives were mixed with quail egg-fluid is 4% by weight of one or more known antiseptic agent/s/ such as boric acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, alkyl or benzyl p-hydroxybenzoate and/or beta-phenylalkanol were added. The compositions obtained could be stored for only 1 to 3 weeks without decomposition. Thus, the conventional cosmetic stabilizers have not been sufficient for the preservation of the cosmetic preparations based on quail egg.
It is also known that bacterial growth is inhibited by sulfonamides, and this effect is higher in cases of sulfonamides potentiated with 2,4-diamino-5/-3',4',5'-trimethoxybenzyl/pyrimidine/trimethoprim/ having antibacterial effect in itself, too [Chemical Abstracts, 73, 128136y /1970/; The Merck Index, Ninth Edition, 9377, p. 1246, Meck and Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA]. Therefore, the above experiments were repeated using 4% by weight of sulfonamide/s/, trimethoprim and sulfonamide/s/ potentiated with trimethoprim, respectively. However, even these very active antibacterial agents could not insure preservation for a longer period than 4 to 12 weeks. Then the components of quail egg began to decompose.
Such a short term preservation is not sufficient for a cosmetic composition. Preservation for at least one year or preferably for a still longer time is necessary.